Rochester Rhinos draw with Richmond
Leigh Cowlishaw pumped his fist when the final horn sounded Friday night at Sahlen's Stadium. His Richmond (Va.) Kickers had come to Rochester and earned a point thanks to a 0-0 tie with the Rhinos. Then Cowlishaw, whose team is playing three matches in four nights this week, issued what amounted to an apology.
"I'm coming out here to make sure we don't lose a game and I don't want to do that. I want to come to Rochester and play an open game and see what we can do attacking-wise, but the schedule doesn't dictate it," said Cowlishaw, Richmond's 14th-year coach. "That dictates what I do tactically and unfortunately for the Rochester fans we packed it in and did a good job."
Tired teams are a symptom of the jam-packed schedule USL PRO teams endure when they're balancing league play and competing in the U.S. Open Cup tournament. Fifth-place Rochester (3-2-5) won its Cup game this week on Tuesday in overtime and buses to Ohio on Saturday for a Sunday night match in Dayton. The third-place Kickers (5-1-5) won a Cup match on Wednesday at home that was delayed three hours by lightning, then rode 10 hours to Rochester on Thursday.
They play at Harrisburg on Saturday night.
"It's more than tough, it's absurd," Cowlishaw said of the schedule. "It's just too much. I've talked about it with the league for numerous years. It's just not right and it needs addressing."
The Rhinos are having enough trouble scoring against opponents who don't sit back, so you can imagine its issues against a Richmond team that ranks fifth in the USL in goals allowed (Rochester ranks second).
The Rhinos have scored only 12 goals in 12 matches in USL and Cup play.
"I was happier with tonight's performance as compared to the last two. The second half we took more risk to get behind and ultimately we were dangerous," said coach Bob Lilley, whose team led 6-5 in shots and 8-4 on corner kicks.
"We weren't lost tonight we just didn't quite get it done."
Midfielder Minh Vu's 73rd-minute goal was disallowed for being offside after Donnie Smith crossed into the box. Down from New England (MLS) for a one-match loan, Smith played well.
In the first half, he dribbled past a defender and put a dangerous ball in front that nearly connected with Alec Sundly, another Rhino on loan from their MLS parent team. On that 73rd-minute chance, Vu volleyed it past goalie Joe Willis before they collided. Willis and counterpart, Rhinos rookie John McCarthy, each made two saves. McCarthy's five shutouts and 0.167 goals-against average in six matches leads the league.
"I think we will score eventually. We'll find our streak," McCarthy said. "I just try to keep our back line and midfield locked in mentally."
JDIVERON@DemocratandChronicle.com
Twitter.com/@RocDevo
Flash vs. Houston
Matchup: Western New York (3-3-2) vs. Houston Dash (1-7-1) in National Women's Soccer League action.
Time/site: 7 p.m. Saturday, Sahlen's Stadium. Gates open at 6.
Tickets: From $10. Call 454-5425, visit www.ticketmaster.com or at the stadium.
They're back: WNY's Samantha Kerr and goalie Lydia Williams are back from the Australian national team. This will be the first match the Flash have their entire roster available.
Familiar faces: The Dash, an expansion team, have former WNY players Whitney Engen, Becky Edwards, Stephanie Ochs, Meghan Klingenberg and Brittany Bock (injured). Engen and Klingenberg aren't available yet from their Swedish team, Tyreso.
Hunting points: "I think we all realize we're close after that Seattle game," Flash coach Aaran Lines said about Sunday's 1-1 draw. "We're looking forward to putting some points on the board."